


Miniature Masterpieces

by PolarArctica



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones, Cherry - Freeform, Edgy Sans, Gen, Injury, Minor Violence, Murder Mystery, My First Fanfic, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader Is Not Frisk, Sansy, Skeletons, Tags Are Hard, bitty - Freeform, softbones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-24 14:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8374846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PolarArctica/pseuds/PolarArctica
Summary: (Bitty bones AU belongs to Crybaby on Tumblr)You've been living on your own for 3 years now, and life still hasn't changed. That is, until you see a poster advertising Bitties for adoption. You think you're just getting a new friend, but little do you know you're also getting front row seats to a horrific murder mystery. Life is definitely about to change.





	1. Adoption Day

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic!! :3 Hope it turns out well~ Please let me know if you enjoy it and want to see more!

You can't help but heave a large sigh of regret as you flip through your calendar. You're pretty sure normal people have at least one thing planned somewhere in the year. You have been living on your own in a small house for about 3 years now, and still haven't completely settled in. You don't even know who your neighbors are. Kicking back onto your couch, you fumble for the remote and change the channel to House Hunters as though you'd done it a thousand times. Stretching out in the lazy glow of the morning sun, you watch for a full 5 minutes before your stomach starts making sounds akin to an angered platypus. 

Not bothering to pause the TV, you sluggishly stumble into the kitchen and open the fridge. Nothing catches your eye. Now the pantry...just ingredients. Great. You were hoping today would be a stay-at-home sorta day. Guess that's just not how the world works when you live on your own. Wishing you had listened to your parents a bit more, you pull on your well-worn teal converse and slide into your dusty but trusty car. 

Pulling into a Walmart, you grab everything that suits your fancy (within your budget, of course) and start walking back to your car. A crinkling noise stops you in your tracks, and you turn to your left to see a fluttering poster, barely hanging on to the brick wall it was taped to. Figuring you may as well fulfill your good deed for the day, you smooth it back out and examine it. "BITTIES UP FOR ADOPTION-GREAT FRIENDS!" What...? There's a picture beneath the bold white text. Several miniature skeletons sit huddled together, making faces at the camera. It's pretty cute. You spot a phone number as well, and jot it down on your receipt before walking off again. (XXX)XXX-XXXX. Heck, you could definitely do with some companionship. At least you would have someone to talk to. Reminding yourself to call the number after putting away the groceries, you drive home.

It is 10:42 am when you arrive. You heat up some eggo waffles to appease your belly, and continue watching the show on TV. The second house is definitely the right choice. As you go to put your dirty dishes in the sink, you see the corner of the receipt peeking out of one of the grocery bags. Oh yeah. Bitties. An odd fluttering feeling of excitement creeps into your chest as you look at the number again. Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you enter the number and wait, biting the side of your cheek absentmindedly.

"Hi! May I help you?" The voice sounds cheerful and energetic.  
"Hi, uh...I saw one of your posters? How do I...um...adopt?" Wow. Your voice sounds really...awkward in comparison. The stark difference makes you cringe a little bit. To be fair, you haven't had a decent human interaction in months.  
"Fantastic! You just need to drive to 1146 W XXXXX and pick one out. I'm free all day till 8 pm, so feel free to come when you're comfortable!"  
"G-great! Sounds great. I'll come over right now, if that's okay. Also, do I need to pay...?"  
"Nope! They're friends, not pets, so I don't like to charge for them."  
"Gotcha. See you soon. Ah, sorry, I don't think I caught your name?"  
"Melissa Doughart. You?"  
"___"  
"See you soon ___! The bitties can't wait to meet you!"  
"Okay. See you soon, Melissa."

With a click, the phonecall was over. Man, maybe you should've thought this over more. Were you really ready for the responsibility of another being or were you just incredibly lonely? Probably the latter. Too late now, though. 

For the second time this morning, you climb back into your car and drive off. "1146 W XXXXX... that's pretty close to my house..." You mumble, glancing at the slowly passing houses. "Wonder what the bitties are like?"

Finally, you see it. 1146 W XXXXX. It's a cute robin's egg blue one-story with a small flower garden out front. Parking your car in the driveway, you eagerly walk up to the door and ring the doorbell. It only took a few moments for the door to open. A lady you are sure is Melissa Doughart stands before you. "Ah! You must be ___?" She says with a warm smile, ushering you inside.

"Yeah, that's me." 

"You must be excited to see the bitties. Please, follow me. I'm washing the kitchen floor so I have them in the spare bedroom." Awkwardly following behind her, you sneak a peek at the house's decor. Porcelain birds and lilac flowers pepper the space. Turning into a hallway, Melissa sets her hand on a doorknob. Before she opens it, she leans over to you and whispers, "Right now I have a Cherry, a Softbones, and a Sansy. Unfortunately I can't care for all of them, so I'm trying to send them to loving homes. If you like one, just let me know and I'll tell you more about them."

With a nod from you, she opens the door completely. "Alright, everyone! Please say hello to ___. She is going to adopt one of you today." At first it looks like Melissa is talking to an empty room. Then, you hear shuffling noises coming from the back of the room. A few tiny heads peep out from a curtain, staring at you curiously. "Don't be shy, little ones. She's a nice one." To your delight, one of the bitties ran right over and proceeds to hug your shoe.

"Oh! That's Cherry. He gets attached very easily." Melissa informed, stroking the small bittie's skull gently. Cherry looks up at you, tears forming at the edges of his eyesockets.  
"Ah! Is he...okay?"  
"He's pretty emotional. If you get him you'd have to sacrifice lots of time and love."

You bite your lip, torn between Cherry's pitiful puppy dog eyes and the demands of life on your own. You aren't sure if a high maintenance bitty is what you are ready for right now. He is awfully cute, though. 

Another bitty creeps out of a hiding place, looking a bit more skeptical of you. "That's Sansy. He has a bit of a trust problem but he tells good jokes. Just give him ketchup and he'll warm right up to you." You can't help a smile tugging at your lips when you imagine the tiny skeleton cracking jokes through mouthfuls of ketchup. Who knew bitties were so much fun?  
"Hi sansy," You try, speaking softly with a hand raised. Geez, you feel like a 5 year old kid talking to their crush. Why can't you be more confident?  
"Yo."  
Your eyes widen. You almost weren't expecting a reply. "They talk?" You whisper, turning back to Melissa.  
She laughs, eyes twinkling as she pats you gently on the back. "Yes, ___. Most bitties do. They are sentient beings, after all."

Careful not to disturb the shivering bitty clinging to your shoelaces, you kneel down and stare at Sansy with newfound interest. He seems pretty easy to take care of, if all he requires is someone to laugh at his jokes and ketchup. He notices you staring at him almost immediately, and disappears with a sharp intake of breath. 

Afraid you've done something wrong, you look apologetically at Melissa. "Did I do something ....?"

"Oh! No, no. You're fine. He's just a little slow to trust, that's all. He's pretty shy with newcomers too. Before I forget, there is still one more bitty for me to show you."  
Remembering the names of the bitties she counted off to you earlier, your eyes brighten.  
"Oh! Softbones, right?"

"Exactly right," Melissa smiles. You see her gently cup something off of a pillow on the guest bed, walking very slowly over to where you're kneeling. She sits down beside you and shows you what's in her hands. 

A small, round bitty dressed in miniature pastel pajamas lies asleep in her palm, snoring softly. You bring your hands to your mouth, stifling the ear-piercing shriek of adorableness you were about to make. "H-he's so cute...!" You whisper, not wanting to wake the cozy skelly. 

"Softbones is the sleepiest of the three. Even more so than Sansy." A soft 'Hey!' interrupts Melissa, making you smile. Ignoring the sound with a quick roll of her eyes, she continues. "You mainly just need to be careful you don't sit or step on him. He needs a pretty quiet house, and loves cuddles and sweet foods like fruit and candy. He isn't very good with energetic pets, so if you have any of those..." You wait for a moment until you realize she's staring at you. "Oh, um. No. I don't have any pets right now."

After setting Softbones back down on a pillow, Melissa turns to you with a smile. "That's all of em! Think you know which one you'd like?" You shake your head. 

"It's a hard decision... I might need some time to decide." 

"That's perfectly alright. How about I go get us some ice tea and you can think about it?"

After you nod, Melissa hurries for the kitchen. You look down at Cherry, who is leaving tearstain spots all over your converse. He looks incredibly frail, a handknit red sweater hanging loosely on his small frame. It makes your heart break seeing the tears running down his face. Melissa didn't seem the sort of person to abuse a bitty, so what made this little guy so sad?

The room is quiet except for Cherry's sniffling and the faint snores of Softbones. You haven't seen Sansy since you two were introduced, and you don't want to move over to Softbones for fear of Cherry's reaction. Just when you've decided to attempt picking up the small skeleton, you hear a gruff cough from underneath the bed. 

Perking up immediately, you lower your head to the floor. You don't see anything but darkness and dust bunnies, so you figure it's one of the bitties and sit back up. Just as your fingers come within an inch of Cherry, you feel a sharp pain on your other arm. Squeaking in surprise, you whip around to see a rather angry bitty. It looks a bit like Cherry, except larger and with a grumpier expression. To your dismay, you can see hairline cracks and fractures coating him like an old china doll.  
"Don't touch 'im." When you stare blankly at him, he gives an exaggerated point at Cherry. "Don't touch 'im. Got that?"  
You are thoroughly confused. You know what he means, but why is this bitty here? Melissa didn't tell you anything about him. The sound of shattering glass behind you makes you instinctively jump to your feet. Melissa's face has gone completely white, and her horror at the scene is punctuated with a shrill cry from Cherry, who was shoved to the side when you stood up. 

"You...what are you doing here?" She chokes out, barely registering the tea pooling on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Ice tea 2016-2016


	2. What are you doing here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kind words last chapter!! ^ _ ^ I just got back from a super tiring road trip, so it was awesome to see how much everyone enjoyed it! <3 This chapter is pretty short, but it gets the story moving.

You barely know what is going on as Melissa leads you out of her house. She tells you that she is horribly sorry for the inconvenience, but you'll have to come back tomorrow. You stand blinking in the sunny driveway, replaying what just happened over and over in your mind. That strange bitty, Melissa appearing in the doorway...and now you're out here. Staring into space like an idiot. You can't help but feel like you've touched on something private. Something secret. Mind racing, you drive in a daze all the way back home. 

Your tv is still blaring commercials when you arrive. Clicking it off, you sit on the couch and stare thoughtfully at the black screen. There's a mystery here. You can tell. A deep, dark mystery that's been hidden away for years. Cracking a small smile, you shake your head gently. Nah, that's just dumb. The only mystery in this neighborhood is how your socks always seem to go missing. You get up to go do other things, when an odd feeling on your back makes you freeze. Something is in your jacket hood. Your mind instantly goes to giant centipedes and mice and all sorts of creepy crawlies that could've hitched a ride.

Awkwardly shrugging off the jacket, you whip around and and slowly, carefully lift up the hood. You aren't proud of how loud you scream when the passenger bites your fingers. It takes a full ten seconds of panicked breathing before you see the unexpected guest. "Y-you? You followed me home?"

The bitty glares at you. "Believe me, it wasn't my first choice. Lissy's too shocked to see me right now, so I figured I'd stay here till she calms down. Just my luck you're a scaredy-cat too." You stare blankly at the bitty for a moment, before finding your voice again. "Uh, well...um. Sorry for screaming. You can stay here for now I guess?" That was the end of your conversation with the bitty. You were itching to ask him questions about why Melissa's reaction to seeing him was so violent, and why he had cracks all over his body. Perhaps that was too personal? Yeah. It probably was. 

Trying to ignore the grumpy hitchhiker on your couch, you walk into your room and shut the door. You try looking up angry red bitties on your phone, and eventually find a small ad. "Looking to buy angry bitty". Your eyebrows raise slightly. Buy? You click on the ad. The first thing you notice is the date. 3-23-98. That was 18 years ago. You would've been 5 years old. The ad sounded horribly desperate. "Willing to pay large sum for bitty." Your eyebrows knit together. Why would someone want a bitty like that so badly? You hear a small knock at the door, and turn off your phone. "Come in!" You call. 

The bitty teleports into your room, looking rather sheepish. You've never seen him look this way before. "Hey...if I'm going to be staying in your house, I feel like I should at least give you a better explanation."  
"No, I understand. I'll just call Melissa tomorro-"  
"No! No. That's not it. Well, it is, but... look. I just escaped from a lab. I thought Melissa would be happy to see me, but you saw how that went down."

You sit on the ground next to the bitty, giving him your full attention. "A lab? So you're..."  
"An experiment? Yeah. Pretty much. I woke up in a white room one day-thought I was dead. 'Course, you're not exactly supposed to feel horrible if you're dead. I felt like I'd been dashed to pieces and put back together again. All these cracks tell me I probably was, though I have no memory of that. After waking up, I heard a strange man cheering in the background. He was rushing about, writing in notepads and whatever other crap he keeps there. He told me I was a marvelous work of nature, blah blah blah. Endless praise and admiration. My second thought after the pain was Lissy. I needed to be there for her, to protect her. I couldn't really remember why, but I just knew I had to get back to her.  
The guy never showed his face around me so I couldn't get a good look at him, but he was pretty short. For a human, at least. I got to know the other bitties he kept in his rat hole labratory. They told me about the awful experimentations he performed on them. Some said he used to be a pretty nice guy, until he figured out how to manipulate bitty souls. He would kill one bitty, and transfer a living bittie's soul to that one. Pretty messed up stuff if you ask me. The bitties became like family to me, and I protected them to the best of my ability.  
It didn't take me long to notice the lab guy treated me like a king, not even bothering to experiment on me like he did the others. When I asked, no one wanted to talk about it. They only said that he had 'crossed the line' and 'done the ultimate experiment'. Frankly, it scared the hell outta me. Lissy was constantly on my mind. I hardly ate. Didn't even agknowledge the other bittie's presence. It wasn't until I saw the body that I realized what they were talking about."

You inch closer, captivated by the bittie's story. "Body?"  
"Yeah. Body. I figured out pretty quickly that the lab guy had somehow managed to transfer his soul to mine. Made me feel sick, knowing I had a soul I wasn't supposed to own. A human soul. I tried to kill myself, but the other bitties...they always held me back. Said I should go see the Lissy I was always muttering about. I'll never forget them. They gave me hope to try escaping that labratory cesspool. It just took one day of mistake on his part, and I was able to teleport through one of the thinner doors. 

There was no doubt in your mind now that you definitely had a mystery on your hands. Not just any mystery, either. If this bitty was telling the truth, you were looking at a full on murder mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... I think we'll need a few more clues to figure this one out

**Author's Note:**

> RIP Ice tea 2016-2016


End file.
